“You make me look pretty, way too pretty,” I say, and he chuckles low.
“I don’t make you anything other than what you are,” he argues. I look back, flipping through the notebook, seeing more and more sketches of myself. All little moments in class, all times when I never saw him even looking at me. I turn over a page and stop, seeing a different drawing. It’s a tattoo design, with four red dragons flying around an ice dragon in the center of them. They almost look like they're protecting her. The main dragon looks like mine, and the little ones are all slightly different. There are swirls coming off the ice dragon, connecting them all together, and it’s remarkable. I can’t look away, I just end up staring at it. I feel Elias slowly look over, to see what I’m so fascinated by.
“I love this,” I say, tracing my finger over the design.
“It’s yours, I designed it for you. I don’t remember when I exactly started drawing it, but it was way before I met you, yet somehow I know it’s yours,” he says, making my heart pound.
“Thank you, Eli,” I whisper, tracing the design with my finger.
“I love when you call me that,” he says gruffly, his voice almost a whisper like mine. Neither one of us say a word, and without communicating I know we both don’t want to ruin the moment. I can see it when I look over at him, I know him well enough to read it in his eyes. I put the notebook on my side, and then lie down in bed, facing him. I reach up, placing my hand on his cheek, and he closes his eyes at my touch.
“What if I told you that kissing you could trigger a curse, that it could destroy everything you don’t even know you have?” I ask him, my words coming out more breathless than I intend them to be.
“A curse?” he asks, frowning at me. As he opens those blue eyes, I find myself instantly lost in them.
“Yes, a curse that was meant to do good for my family, but right now it feels like it’s destroying the very family it was meant to protect,” I say, meaning every word. Why does it have to be like this? It’s not fair.
“You’re not making much sense, princess,” he says, and I shake my head, lowering my head to his chest after he rolls onto his back. I reach over, switching the lamp off, and then placing my hand on his chest.
“Stay the night?” I ask him, not really giving him a choice as I’m already comfy, and don’t want to move.
“You don’t have to ask, princess,” he whispers, kissing my forehead. Only seconds later darkness makes me fall asleep as I lay listening to his beating heart.
Chapter Twenty
Isola
Someone is knocking on your door. It’s too fucking early for me to be a gentleman and answer it for you,” a voice grumbles. The feeling of a face pushing into my neck has me blinking my eyes open. I pull myself awake, to find Elias practically lying on top of me and he looks up, his messy hair makes him look cute in an early morning way.
“How much would you hate me if I said how cute you are in the morning?” I ask, and he glares at me, rolling over and pulling a pillow over his head. Someone doesn’t like mornings.
“Get the door,” he groans, his voice muffled by his pillow. I laugh, getting out of bed and walking to the door, opening it a little to see Korbin stood outside.
“Hey?” I ask, sounding like a dork.
“Running? I know we haven’t been speaking recently, but I–” he says, and then Eli’s loud shout interrupts him. “–Keep it down.” I look back at Korbin as his whole face tightens, and then he turns, walking away.
“Korbin, wait!” I shout, running out the door, and down the stairs after him. I catch him just before he gets to the front door, grabbing his arm.
“Let me explain,” I plead.
“Explain what? Am I nothing to you? Or was it only me that felt something, Isola?” he fires all the questions quickly at me, and never giving me a second to reply.
“Kor, it wasn’t nothing. It meant everything to me. You have no fucking idea how hard this is for me. What I’m doing, it is killing me as I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I tell him and he turns, pushing me lightly into the wall, and stepping close. He presses me against the wall as he slides his hand to the back of my neck, and he makes me look up at him. His green eyes blaze as he stares at me. It’s almost unnerving to see the emotion in his eyes, but I don’t look away. I know he needs to see the same passion in mine, he needs to know that I don’t feel nothing. I feel everything, and it frightens me.
“I don’t know how to cope with how you look at Dagan and Elias,” he admits, his thumb stroking the back of my neck.
“I don’t know what I’m doing, only that I can’t stay away from any of you,” I reply truthfully.
“Then for now, this is how it is, because fuck Isola, I can’t lose you,” he says and slams his mouth onto mine. I moan against his lips, returning the kiss the best I can when he is taking total control, leaving me no break in-between each punishing kiss. He brushes his lips down my jaw, angling my head with his hand on my neck, and then breaking away.
“Now, get your cute butt back to your room, and get your running gear on,” he says, an actual smile on his lips for the first time I’ve seen this week. He lets me free from against the wall, and I jump when he slaps my ass playfully as I pass him.
“Cheeky,” I say, but I can’t keep the grin of my face.
“Oh, and Isola?” he stops me when I get to the bottom step.
“Yeah?” I turn to ask.
“Make a lot of noise as you get changed, I don’t think Eli was awake enough yet,” he says and I laugh as I walk away, intending to do just that.
How was your run?” Dagan asks when Korbin and I come back into the house, both of us worn out. I look out the window to see it just start to pour down and I’m damn thankful we got inside before that started.
“Good, but the more important question is whether or not those are waffles?” I ask, smelling them before I even get to his side and see the waffle maker he has out. I look over to the table, seeing cut fruit on a plate and all the sauces lined up. There are even plates and cutlery set out.
“Sit down, I’ve made you all some,” he says, winking at me. The back door opens and Eli walks in, the cigarette smoke clinging to his clothes letting me know what he was doing outside. He shakes his wet hair, before using his hand to push it out his face. He takes his jacket off, resting it on a hook by the door.
“Morning,” he says as I sit down, and Korbin hands me a bottle of orange juice before sitting next to me.
“Morning, cutie,” I reply, seeing Eli narrow his eyes at me as Korbin laughs.
“Cutie?” he asks, with a laugh, looking between us.
“Don’t ask,” I reply, and he chuckles. Eli sits down opposite me, still glaring and gently kicks my leg under the table, and I laugh. I pile some fruit on my plate, popping a strawberry in my mouth as Elias still looks annoyed.
“So…any plans after school today?” Korbin asks, cutting an apple up with a knife.
“I’m going to see Jules,” I tell them.
“Want a ride?” Elias asks.
“Nope, Hallie is taking me as she wants to see her too. They got along since Hallie was over here often. She wants to take her some grapes,” I explain. Although she was only over here in memories Melody made up, they are real enough for Hallie. I doubt Hallie even remembers Melody now, it seems like no one really does. I haven’t had to explain to any teachers where she is, it’s just odd magic that messes with us all. Dagan slides the waffles onto my plate, and I grin up at him.
“Thank you,” I say, and he puts another plate full of waffles in the middle of the table.